Runaway to Wolfland.

The girl stepped off the sidewalk, and walked into a BP gas station. Digging around in her pockets, she came up with three dollars and fifty-nine cents. She grabbed a bag of chips and a Cherry Coke, and walked up to the register. The cashier took the money that was put on the counter, " That'll be two dollars and ninety eight cents." As the older woman handed back the change, she glanced at the costumer. She couldn't help but stare slightly. The girl looked about 18. She had a purple backpack that looked pretty new. She was around 5'5 and a little underweight. Her hair was a natural shimmering black  that fell into neat ringlets down to the middle of her back. She was dressed normally, in worn but not ragged blue jeans, and a dark green T-shirt with a dolphin on it. Her skin was a dusty colored tan and looked fairly clean. Soft, large grey eyes that held a nervous look peered at her from a slightly angular face. The girl was astonishingly beautiful, but this was not what attracted the stare from the cashier. It was the girl's upset, timid posture, the look in her eyes, the tight, fearful energy that was in the air around her. "Are you OK?" The cashier asked. She had a daughter of her own, and couldn't help the motherly instincts that arose when she saw a child in need. The question surprised the girl, and she looked up. "Yes, I'm fine." She said quietly. Her words had a strong british accent to them, though her tone was soft.  She took her change and her purchases and walked out of the store quickly before the cashier had a chance to say more. With a last worried sigh, and a tsk of her tongue, the woman put the girl out of her mind and grabbed the credit card from the next customer.

Emerald Ottle walked away from the gas station, moving along the edge of the road, sipping her coke.  Her left over money wasn't much. Enough to buy another drink tomorrow. She'd had no clue plane tickets were that expensive. This is just great. She thought to herself You flew to a different country with no contacts,  no money, and currently no place to stay. Aren't you the smart one?  She would figure out something. Didn't America have lots of "help the homeless" orginizations?  "Oh, bugger it." She snapped aloud, sitting down  on the curb. She had made an error in her haste. But she wouldn't have been able to stand one more day at home. Her father's last drunken rage had finally broken through Em's emotionally frozen state. Emerald raised her hand and touched the bruise on her cheek. As she felt herself start to tremble, she chanted silently in her head, Forget, forget, forget, forget forget!  She was away from him, he would never hurt her again. To bad she couldn't tell her memory that. Em sighed, she was tired, and underneath everything, scared to death. She hadn't a clue what to do with herself. She took another sip of her soda. She hadn't had cherry coke in a long time. It wasn't her favorite, but she did like the taste of it. "Hello." A youthful voice came from behind her. Em flinched, and tipped over her coke. "Crap!" She said. Then turned and looked at the speaker. It was a young girl that Em guessed to be around nine or ten. She was on the short side of normal, and had a petite frame. Her hair was golden blonde, and she had dark blue eyes. "Hi..." Em said slowly, not quite sure what this child wanted. "I'm Cassie, who're you?" The girl asked cheerfully. Then went on without a pause, "Its not safe to be out here when its late you know, thats what daddy always says. He's always telling me not to wander around, but I do anyway. I'm just coming home from my friends house now, where do you live?" Em blinked. A very talkative child. "I don't live anywhere at the moment." Em said heavily. It wouldn't matter to this child, and Em probably shouldn't be telling her, but she needed to talk to somebody. "I flew here from England, and now I don't have a place to stay. Or any money." Because she had been running, running away as fast as she could. She had brought enough clothes to get her through for a while, and a few other neccesities, but other then that, she had basically nothing.  "Come home with me!" Cassie exclaimed, "Daddy lets people come over to his house all the time! Although its usually because-" She broke off suddenly, as if she had been about to say something she shouldn't. "I mean, I am sure daddy would help you! He is so wonderful!" Em had officially decided this child was a bit on the odd side. "I don't think your daddy would like you bringing a stranger home, Cassie, but I would like to walk you home if you don't mind." Em was worried, Cassie had been right about it getting later, now it was almost dark. A child as friendly as Cassie could easily get in trouble alone. "Ok! I really want you to meet my dad though." She smiled brightly at Em, "My house is this way, lets go!" Em followed the girl as she began walking quickly down a sidewalk that appeared to lead along the front side of several subdivisions.  "By the way, whats your name?" Cassie asked. "Emerald" Em answered. "Cool! Like the gem?" "Yes." Everyone liked Emerald's name. Em was used to people exclaming over it. They walked for about ten minuets. "How far is your house, Cassie?" Emerald asked. "Its not much farther." She answered. "Daddy owns the house with the biggest yard in the whole city!" Is he rich? Em wondered, suddenly feeling worried. She didn't like rich people, mostly because they were snobs. She knew it was an unfair judgement of the wealthy, but in her personal experience, it was true. Suddenly Cassie stopped dead, and Em almost ran into her. "Are we there?" She asked, before she saw what Cassie had seen, and her heart stopped cold. A figure was standing in front of them, blocking the path. "Hi." Cassie spoke, and Em heard a tremble in her voice. Maybe she wasn't as naive as Em had thought. Without really thinking, she walked forward and stood in front of Cassie. "What do you want?" Her voice showed none of the fear that was filling her body, speeding up her heart, and making her feel lightheaded. The man-she was pretty sure it was a man- walked forward, and Em saw he held a knife in his hand. "Cassie, run!" She screamed, praying the girl would listen. She heard Cassie gasp in fear, then the sound of feet hitting pavement. Cassie was running, and running very fast from the sound of it. She turned her attention quickly back to her own dilemma. The man muttered a string of very foul words, and then reached out his arm and jerked Em towards him. he out the knife at her neck, "Move one muscle, bitch, and I'll make sure you never move again." He then began tugging at her clothing. Em was exceptionally aware of the sharp edge on the knife at her neck. She squirmed, trying to kick him. He pushed on the knife, Em felt it draw blood. She froze again, trying to ignore the pain from both the knife and the mans cruel handling. He ripped her shirt, and groped at her. Suddenly Em saw her chance. Preoccupied the knife slid away from her throat. Em brought her right leg out and up, hitting the man right where she had been aiming. He fell to the ground and writhed, groaning. Em ran fast, in the direction Cassie had gone. He wouldn't be moving any time soon. Em ran until she was gasping and stumbling on every step. "Cassie?" She called. The girl probably wasn't anywhere near, but- "Emerald!" Cassie was sobbing as she ran into the older girl. "It's alright." Emerald said, making shushing noises, although what she really wanted to do is sob along. "Cassie, lets get you home." Emerald said, pulling away for a moment, and getting a fresh shirt out of her backpack, which had, amazingly, stayed on her back. She left her ruined shirt in the street, as Cassie led her through yards and narrow passages between houses. After about 3 minuets, she announced "We're here." She had stopped crying, and her voice brightened obviously when she spoke. She ran into the house, and Emerald followed, not knowing what else to do. She didn't see Cassie when she walked through the door. There were probably near 15 people in the house. It was large, so it didn't appear crammed, but Emerald had no clue who she should talk to, or even if she should speak at all. No one seemed to notice her arrival, or even Cassie's. It was obvious to Em that a rather heated arguement had been going on. Emerald suddenly froze, and stood looking intently at one of the men who was speaking. The dark hair fit, along with the voice. But his posture...she thought it was him, but she wasn't sure.  "Zack?" She called hesitantly, her voice uncertain, and holding a thread of nervousness. He turned, and she got a good look at his face. Moving forward quickly she half threw herself at the face she hadn't seen in two years. Zack's face held shock, but also recognition. "Em?" After giving him a tight squeeze with her arms she stepped back to look at the only man she had ever trusted. "Zack! I thought it was you, I have missed you so much! Why did you leave without telling anyone where you were going?" His leaving had left a deeper scratch on her heart than he knew, but she wasn't going to tell him that. Looking at him further she realized that something had definitely changed since she had last seen him. Oh, he still had the same chocolate brown hair that he kept almost down to his shoulders, the same nose that was a little crooked from the time he had broken it falling out of a tree, he was taller, but after two years that wasn't anything out of ordinary. His eyes were still that odd color; brown flecked with sky blue, a color she had never seen on anyone else. He was more of a man than he had been, his body was in proportioned perfectly, but it wasn't that, exactly. It was almost as if an aura of power floated around him, she finally realized. Whatever that means. She thought to herself. Zack finally lost his shocked look and smiled with real warmth, "Em, I'm glad to see you! But what are you doing here?" Now that her initial surge of joy at finding him had worn off, Em began to shiver. The fear she always felt around men began to shift and churn inside her, and she was already upset from her almost-rape. She hurriedly took a few steps back. She cleared her throat, then looked behind her, "I was just helping Cassie get home." OK, escorting a girl you don't even know to her house. Very kind of you. Didn't make much sense though. For some reason she didn't want to tell her old friend what had happened just yet. Em looked around. Cassie was talking to another man, who Em easily identified as her father. They looked exactly alike. The same curly blond hair and royal blue eyes. She guessed his age to be around thirty, give or take a few years. When Cassie's father turned and started to approach her, Em swallowed hard and braced herself. It was always when a man walked toward her that she felt truly scared. She hated herself for it, but she just couldn't control the beating of her heart, or the racing of her pulse, or the terrified shivers that ran up her spine.  And this man was very angry. His eyes were filled with fury, and his muscles were tense. It seemed Cassie had told him everything.  He stopped in front of her, "My daughter tells me you saved her life, you have my deepest thanks." His words were heated and angry, but they held true gratitude in them. Emerald said nothing for a moment, trying desperately to think of something that would get her out of there fast, "Um, I didn't save her life, exactly. I mean-it was nothing." She finished hurridly. He nodded, called, "Alan, Sabrina." A man and woman stepped forward from the pack-Em had no idea why she was thinking of these people as a pack-and stood in front of him, "I want you two to find someone for me. Emerald,-" He jerked his thumb at her, "Will tell you where he last was, and what he looks like."  With that, he and Cassie walked up the stairs. Em assumed he was going to talk to his daughter a bit more, then put her to bed.  Em looked at the two people who were apparently waiting for her to say something. Oh. Yeah. She was supposed to describe the man. "Ah...." Em laughed slightly, though she didn't know why. "I couldn't really tell what he looked like, but he was on the sidewalk the runs along road 887 B, he had on dark clothes, and he probably will be limping." In response to their question looks-did these people say nothing? "I had to kick him...in a tender spot, to escape."  She thought she saw the womans mouth twitch slightly, then, almost before she saw them move, they were gone, shutting the door behind them. Now what do I do? Em wondered. I guess I'll leave, and try to find a place to stay the night. Then she remembered Zack. She turned. He was still there, although he had backed up a bit, and Em couldn't quite see his face. "Well, I guess I better go." She felt very weird. She had an uncontrollable urge to laugh, but she had the feeling that if she gave into it she would start to cry. Then Zack stretched out his hand and touched her cheek gently. Em froze, resisting the urge to cower or flee, which she would have done had it been any other. "Did he do this?" He asked, and Em realized he was looking at the bruise on her cheek. "Yeah." She said, her voice had a slight shake in it.  She stiffened her spine, refusing to let her body move when her mind ordered it not to. A moment later he dropped his hand, "Where are you staying?" He asked her. Em paused, thinking. Of all the people she hadn't expected to meet, Zack was near the top of the list. He was also at the top of the list of people whom she didn't want to explain her predicament to. "Oh, just, around." She said. He raised one eyebrow. She felt a surge of happiness at that single, utterly familiar gesture. But she also knew that it meant she was going to have to explain in more detail. "I..um...I'm staying-" Zack would be able to tell if she lied. He always had been more intuitive than most.  Em turned away slightly. "I actually have kind of run out of money." She laughed a little, "I was staying at a hotel, a little while ago." That was true, although it had been in England. "But now-" She shrugged. "I figure I'll find someone who will rent a room to me in exchange for house cleaning, or something." She looked at him. He was frowning. "Bye!" She said quickly. She wanted to get away from here now, for some reason something in this house was creeping her out. "Wait." Zack said. His voice sounded funny, "Why don't you stay here for the night, since its so late. I'm sure Gerald won't mind." Far away... his voice sounded so far away, she couldn't tell what he was saying. The world spun around and got much darker, I'm going to faint Em thought, as she fell to the floor.

Her head hurt. That was Em's first thought as she blinked her eyes against the light coming from the open window. She groaned and lifted a hand to her head, rubbing her temples. She looked around. The room she was in was unfamiliar, with walls painted a peach color and the bed sheets and decorations wildflower themed. She remembered fainting, but after that, nothing. Just plain nothing. Not really knowing what to do, Em pushed back the covers and stood. She was in her same clothes, the pants weren't clean, but the shirt was-because of that. Emerald shuddered and closed her eyes for a moment. Then she took a deep breath, forcing herself to cage up the panic into a little box. It was a trick she had learned when she was younger, whenever her father had been in one of his bad moods. It was a way of staying sane. She spotted her backback in a corner and walked over to it, pulling out a plain pair of gray shorts. She had just taken her jeans off when the door opened. Em let out a shriek, and a voice said, "Its all right! It's just me." Em could hear the sheesh in Cassie's voice. The girl walked in the room quickly, shutting the door behind her as Em pulled her shorts on. "I'm glad you're alright. You fainted in front of everybody."  Em sighed. "I know. I was just tired. Like you said, I'm alright." She hesitated before adding, "So where is your dad? And Zack?" Cassie stared at her. "How do you know who Zack is? And how does Zack know you? He was acting really weird last night."